Poll: Bush approval rating dips to 35 percent

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush's popularity has dipped to 35 percent, according to a new CNN poll, with 41 percent of likely voters saying their disapproval of his performance will affect their vote in Tuesday's elections for control of Congress.

Sixty-one percent of the 1,008 adult Americans who responded to the Opinion Research Corp. poll said they disapproved of the way Bush is handling his job as president, according to the survey. The poll was conducted by telephone Friday through Sunday.

This finding represents a two-point decline in Bush's approval rating compared with a CNN poll conducted a week earlier. The decline is within the poll's sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. The new approval rating is four points lower than a survey taken two weeks ago. (Results)

In the latest poll, 41 percent of likely voters said they would be sending a message about their disapproval of Bush when they vote Tuesday. Another 42 percent said their opinion of Bush is not a factor in their congressional voting, while 16 percent said they would be sending a vote of support for Bush when they cast ballots Tuesday.

Six hundred thirty-six likely voters took part in the survey.

The poll has a sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points on the question of sending a message with votes.

Democrats need a 15-seat pickup in Tuesday's elections to regain control of the House of Representatives and a gain of six seats to reclaim the Senate.